I am writing this post perched in my office on the floor above the new Nordstrom Men’s Store on 57th and Broadway in New York City. I was in the store this morning when the doors opened, and you could sense the excitement and buzz in the space.

Free donuts at the openingJon Bird

There was something for all the senses — donuts on arrival, fresh coffee (Nordstrom signature blend), two bars (a little early for a drink, but I’ll be back), vibrant visual merchandising, art on the walls, a DJ pumping out tunes, plush carpet underfoot. It felt good.

There was something for every kind of shopper, too. The brands on offer stretch “from Vans to Valentino,” as Jamie Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Stores, said.

Christian Louboutin at Nordstrom Men'sJon Bird

High-tech customers can take advantage of the Virtual Reality suit station or mobile checkout. Low-tech shoppers can get their shoes shined, grab a coffee or wander the store with a glass of wine bought at the bar. (Perhaps alcohol will be the savior of physical retail?)

Shoe shine at NordstromJon Bird

Will alcohol save physical retail?Jon Bird

Lining up to register for the chance to buy the latest sneakersJon Bird

Sneakerheads lined up at one counter to register for a chance to purchase a new pair of Nikes to be released this weekend, while more refined types salivated over the Eton shirts.

It’s a store built for the physical-meets-digital age. You can click online and collect in store; order from the mobile app at 2 a.m. and cruise past to pick up a tie at the curbside; return an item just by scanning the receipt and dropping it in a box.

Nordstrom Local, LAZac Kraemer

Nordstrom is not just opening stores (a rarity in itself); it is opening interesting stores. (As the old saying goes, you can’t bore people into buying.) In Los Angeles last year, Nordstrom launched a neighborhood concept called “Nordstrom Local” that is all about services, not product. You can return and pick up items, have clothes tailored or consult a personal stylist, but there is no inventory for sale.

Walk into a Sears, and you can instantly tell why the giant tumbled to earth. The stores that I have shopped are quiet. The housekeeping is poor. Sales associates are hard to find. Most of all, the product is not great. You just want to leave, which is what shoppers have been doing in droves.

I spoke with Jamie Nordstrom at the store opening, and one quote really stuck in my mind. When asked about macroeconomic trends, Nordstrom said, “We’re not economists; we’re retailers.” Besides being president of the company, Jamie is the great-grandson of the founder, and retail runs in his veins. Eddie Lampert, the chairman and CEO of Sears Holdings, is not a retailer — he’s a money man, a businessman and investor.

Even in this digital retail age, merchants still make the magic. As Jamie also said, “there is lots of whiz-bang technology, but ultimately it’s about the product.” And that’s an open-and-shut case.